Tech company considering Basehor locale

While Basehor isn't Silicon Valley, that doesn't mean the small city can't be a good home to a growing computer software company.

On Monday night, the Basehor City Council heard a brief presentation from representatives of ABLE Inc., a company that specializes in developing educational computer programs for insurance, securities and real estate licensing. The City Council is preparing an incentive package it can offer the company; Council members are scheduled to resume discussions next week and formulate a package to offer the prospective business.

Two company executives told the City Council the company is considering Basehor as a possible destination for a business.

Brian Albers, ABLE, Inc., vice president, said the company is considering several cities in the area but that Basehor would be a preferred location if the city could offer an attractive incentive package. He said Basehor's growing community and convenient location make it a place "where something exciting is going on."

Albers told the City Council that ABLE Inc. would construct a 12,000 square foot building between $1 and $2.5 million that would house at least 21 employees. The business is currently operating out of temporary location near Kansas Highway 7 and Parallel Road.

ABLE, Inc., began operations in 2001 with 10 employees. Albers said the company predicts it will grow by 20 percent each year and that ABLE could double its roster of employees within a few years.

The company's vice president said several commercial areas in Basehor -- including Pinehurst on 158th Street, Honey Creek Farms on 166th Street and Basehor Plaza at the corner of 155th Street and State Avenue -- are all under consideration for the business's permanent site.

The company has already met with representatives from the city of Bonner Springs, which has available an incentive package of a 95 percent tax abatement for 10 years depending on which location the company builds, Albers said.

He said the company would choose a city that offers ABLE Inc. the "max to make sure this project goes through."

City administrator David Fuqua said he's working with the Kansas Department of Commerce in determining what ways the city can sweeten the pot for the technology company. He said those incentives could include tax abatements and waiving the city's 9-cents-per-square-foot excise tax.